


Houston, We're Fucked

by Flintlock (yukine)



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Awkward Space to Ground Control Flirting, F/F, Gratuitous Camptown Races, M/M, Multiple Pov, Space Program AU, gays in space
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-12 16:16:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7940995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yukine/pseuds/Flintlock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Well, sending a group of young, inexperienced astronaut trainees each with their own unresolved romantic tensions and none of them able to cope with stress well into space seemed like a good idea at the time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. LAUNCH DAY

_Public Mission Log. Entry #1. Launch day._

_Dr. Angela Ziegler speaking._

_I had the idea of starting a public log that anyone involved in the mission could contribute to- not only will it serve as records of the mission for future generations, but we'll be posting these entries to our website the day they're written, so the public can follow along, as well! To anyone at home reading this right now; in addition to public ones, our astronauts will also be keeping private logs throughout the mission, and may choose to publish them once they've come back to Earth, but until then, we ask you to respect their privacy._

_I am writing this as I sit at HQ. I have just finished an assigned task of mine, and decided to write this while I had the time, but everyone around me is busy as a bee preparing for the launch!_

_We at Overwatch Space Operations are over the Moon with excitement (Haha!) for the mission which will begin later today, in which our astronauts will be flying to the International Space Station for a length of time and will be conducting various experiments to further our understanding of sustainability in space. They will also be doing several space walks during their time at the Space Station for repairs to the craft and setting up satellites._

_There will be several brave men and women from all over the world embarking on this remarkable journey._ Mission Commander: _Fareeha "Pharah" Amari, 32, who hails from Cairo, Egypt._ Pilot: _Lena "Tracer" Oxton, 26, from London, England._ Flight Engineer: _Jesse McCree, 37, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA._ International Mission Specialist: _Aleksandra "Zarya" Zaryanova, 28, from Siberia, Russia. And finally;_ Research Specialist: _Mei-Ling "Mei" Zhou, 31, of Xi'an, China._

_From there, they will meet up with Reinhardt Wilhelm, the oldest astronaut in our ranks, who has been stationed on the Space Station for solo experimentation for two months (Do not worry- he is doing just fine, though he is quite excited for company!). And as for us down here in mission control? There are quite a lot of us, so I will leave them to introduce themselves in the logs at a later date! :)_

_I must get back to preparation for now, but again, we are very excited for this mission to begin. Thank you for joining us! We hope you continue to follow along on this amazing journey with us here at OSO._

_This is going to be incredible!_

* * *

**[Headquarters, Launch Day]**

"This is going to be a disaster."

Chewing her lip nervously, Angela turned her head to the owner of the gruff voice beside her. He was a weary-looking man with dark bags under his pale eyes that betrayed a lack of sleep. He gritted his teeth and slammed his fist against the table in exasperation. 

"They'll be fine, Jack," tried Angela at an attempt to soothe him, though she had trouble sounding convincing herself. 

The man grimaced and spun in his chair to face her fully, lips pulled in an irritated snarl. "Really? ' _They'll be fine_ '? Angela, we're launching a tin can a full of incompetent _kids_ into space with _half_ the training we'd normally give _anyone_ with enough balls to leave the planet."

Angela scowled, suddenly feeling defensive. It wasn't _that_ bad. "It was a short-notice mission, you know that as well as I do, and we did the best with the time we had!"

"You know how much is riding on this mission, Angela," Jack snapped back.

Angela blinked at him then scowled and looked away. "They are not incompetent children."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Should we check in on them, then?" Angela opened her mouth to argue, but before she could speak, Jack raised a finger and jabbed it at a button by his monitor labeled 'COMMS', slowly turning his head to face Angela as the voices of the astronauts they all placed their trust in, currently sitting in the shuttle as they waited for lift off, were broadcasted in HQ for all to hear.

" _Camptown ladies, sing this song,_ " sang a Southern drawl on the other end of the radio.

" _Doo-dah, doo-dah,_ " sang back at least three others.

Jack's eyebrow inched further up. Angela shrunk down into her seat.

" _Camptown races all day long._ "

" _Ah, de doo-dah day._ "

" _Those aren't even the right lyrics,_ " immediately snapped a new female voice.

 _"There's no way you know Camptown Races better than me, Fareeha,"_ shot back the Southern voice. 

" _It's 'Camptown racetrack's five miles long'_ ," bit back Fareeha.

" _I think I'd know if it was 'Camptown racetrack's five miles long',_ " growled the Southern one with such anger in his voice that in any other situation it would've been hilarious.

Angela cringed.

Jack scowled and rolled his eyes, then tapped a microphone right underneath the 'COMMS' button. "Mission control to space crew."

There was a brief pause, before a perky English accent piped up from the other end. " _Oh! Heya, Jack! Ah...how long've you been there?_ "

Jack glared at Angela, as if to say, 'This proves my point'. Angela gulped and looked the other way, as if to say, 'Yes, I know, please don't mention it'.

Turning his attention back to the microphone, Jack lowered his head and grunted, "It's an hour to launch.  You lot should be reviewing the mission plan, inventory, mission goals, doing craft checks, _anything_ other than using this time to sing goddamn Camptown Races."

" _Uh, actually, it's 'Camptown Ladies'_."

" _Oh my god McCree, no it's_ not," came Fareeha in the background.

"Do you ever wonder why Reyes left?" asked Jack to Angela. "Because I don't."

Headquarters were dimly lit, filled with an ambient glow from the dozens of monitors all throughout the room- most of them occupied by a stressed-out employee. It was better than blinding light on Angela's growing headache, though.

Angela vaguely registered McCree and Jack beginning to bicker behind her, Fareeha or one of the other astronauts occasionally chipping in with an equally heated response. Angela sighed and shrunk down in her seat, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Okay, fine, this mission was going to be a disaster. She sighed and went back to typing away at her monitor. The sooner it was done, the better.

* * *

**[Cockpit, Launch Day]**

Thank god for Satya Vaswani.

The Flight Dynamics Officer was incredibly cool-headed and focused under pressure, which was exactly what the space-bound quintet needed. Satya was addressing them all over radio, running them down a checklist and assuring the high-strung crew that they were going to be just fine.

Fareeha's hands were wrapped white-knuckled around the controls. Her eyes were closed as she drew in deep breaths, trying to put herself in a calm enough state to stop shaking, at the very least.

"We have reached the end of the checklist. You are completely qualified for space travel." Satya's voice buzzed in Fareeha's ear, and Fareeha tried to relax her shoulders. "Two minutes until launch. Pilot, are you prepared?"

Though her eyes were still closed, Fareeha heard some switches flick just off to her left. "Ready!" chirped Lena in reply, though Fareeha could feel that Lena's body, pressed up against Fareeha's side, was tense.

"Flight engineer?"

"Affirmative," answered McCree to Fareeha's right. Fareeha, who had people in the world she was more fond of- namely, nearly everyone she had ever met-, tried not to grit her teeth.

"International mission specialist?" Fareeha heard Zarya half-grunt out a reply behind her. Zarya was obviously deep in concentration herself. "Research specialist?"

"I am ready!" Fareeha could hear the smile in Mei's voice.

Satya sucked in a deep breath over the radio, before reading out the final position present in the crew. "Flight commander?"

Fareeha hesitated to answer.

There...was a lot, riding on her shoulders. As a child, all she ever dreamed of was being commander of a space flight, just once. Her mother was an ex-commander herself, and when little Fareeha expressed interest in leaving the atmosphere one day when she was old enough, the media caught wind of it and gobbled it up. How adorable- Ana Amari's tiny daughter wants to grow up to be an too! She'd be perfect at it, it runs in her blood! Maybe she will grow up to redeem the name of Overwatch Space Operations. Ana Amari must be so proud!

Well. The media was the only support Fareeha got.

Every "I want to be like you, Mom!" was immediately followed by a "No you don't." Every "Space travel is amazing!" was shot down with a "It's dangerous beyond belief, Fareeha, you know how my last mission went." And "Please, can't you be happy for me?" could barely leave her lips before "I'm sorry, Fareeha. I just want what's best for you. I don't want you to go through what I did" was delivered in reply.

It wasn't as if Fareeha thought her mother was being cruel for the sake of being cruel. Her mother held the title of being the woman with the most space trips in history, and was such a charming character she even became a mainstream celebrity, and a highly-esteemed special guest to charity events, science panels and talk shows alike. It was the golden age of Overwatch Space Operations, and her mother was the poster child of the final frontier. But what goes up, must come down.

All at once, OSO seemed to spontaneously fall apart at the seams, with horrible incident after horrible incident from the previously perfect company making headlines all over the world. There was the training simulation with a mechanical malfunction, leaving the poor trainee himself in a coma for years. There was the scandal that broke out in which one of the soured founding members of OSO had been selling information to a terrorist organization, which led to public distrust of the corporation. And worst of all, there was Ana Amari's final mission, in which five astronauts were sent to space; and among the remains of the craft that had crashed on its return to Earth, only one astronaut had come back.

It wasn't something Fareeha's mother talked about.

National funding for OSO was cut drastically, its reputation corrupted. There were too many incidents in too short of a timeframe for the public to grant it their forgiveness. Fareeha was either too young to fully understand it, or perhaps too naïve to care, and her dream of space flight never died, despite her mother's blatant disapproval. And although OSO was practically dead and had been for years, she stubbornly studied to be an astronaut anyway, and was one of the most vocal supporters in the recent movement to get OSO funded again because god, she wanted it more than anybody, she deserved the opportunity more than anybody, and she worked harder than anybody to get there.

The public loves a good redemption story, and from the now-grown daughter of a former hero of space aeronautics, no less. One more chance, Overwatch Space Operations was told. You have one more chance.

The first major mission Overwatch Space Operations had in years. And Fareeha was the commander.

"Flight commander?" Satya asked again, and to her embarrassment, Fareeha realized she had gotten lost in her thoughts and left Satya hanging.

Fareeha opened her eyes again and looked around at the four sitting around her. The older members weren't wrong- this group _was_ the youngest and most inexperienced group OSO had ever gambled on. But...they were smart, and capable. She trusted her crew. She trusted ground control. They were her friends. And she was going to make her mother proud.

"I'm ready, Satya."

A beat.

"Understood. Good luck on your mission, Commander Amari."

Hm. Commander Amari. A smile pulled at Fareeha's lips as she readjusted her grip on the controls and began the launch sequence.

That was a name she could get used to.

* * *

**[Cockpit, Mid-Launch]**

"CAMPTOWN RACES ALL DAY LONG."

"MCCREE, STOP SINGING."

"IT'S HOW I CALM DOWN, FAREEHA."

"WHEN I NEED TO CALM DOWN, I LIFT HEAVIEST METAL OBJECT NEAR ME."

"ZARYA THE HEAVIEST METAL OBJECT NEAR ANY OF US IS THE CRAFT WE'RE SITTING INAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH."

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH."

" _AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the only thing better than gay overwatch that i could think of is gay overwatch in space. so here we are
> 
> anyway, thank you very much for reading!! this first chapter is a lot of exposition (which is necessary to the rest of the story) but im really excited to write the rest of this and let the main plot and several subplots i have planned kick in! nonetheless i hope you enjoyed. (heres my[tumblr](http://volskayas.tumblr.com/) if u want...ill probably be posting updates there) feedback is really appreciated, and it really motivates me to write, and uh. yea!!! thank u very much and im excited to write more!!


	2. [DAY 1]

_PUBLIC MISSION LOG. ENTRY #2._ _DAY 1 OF MAJOR MISSION._  

 _HELLO! REINHARDT WILHELM HERE!_  

 _AS_ _MY GOOD FRIEND_ _DR. ZIEGLER HAD MENTIONED IN HER PREVIOUS ENTRY, I HAVE BEEN SOLITARILY STATIONED ON THE SPACE STATION FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS. I HAVE MADE SOME BREAKTHROUGH DISCOVERIES DURING MY TIME HERE HOWEVER I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE REST OF THE CREW ARRIVING LATER TODAY HAHA. I ALSO HOPE THEY HAVE BROUGHT A LARGER VARIETY OF FOOD WITH THEM. I TIRE OF PROTEIN BARS_  

 _PLEASE DO NOT BE ALARMED I DO NOT MEAN TO APPEAR AS IF I AM SHOUTING_  

 _I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO TURN OFF CAPS_  

* * *

 **[Docking Station, Day 1]**  

Things, so far, were surprisingly...not...absolutely terrible. That made Lena really happy. 

The young pilot of the spacecraft glanced up from staring out the front window of the cockpit and flicked some switches above her head, slowing the speed of the craft, before looking ahead again and setting her hands back on the main controls. "Oxton to ground control," she said, tilting her head as she spoke into her headset. "Approaching International Space Station. Over." 

There were a few moments before Overwatch Space Operations replied, leaving Lena to float the craft gently towards the station only about a mile away from her now in silence. 

Lena's headset crackled to life. "Winston to Oxton," came a baritone reply. Instantly recognizing the voice, a huge grin cracked onto her lips. "Good job. You're clear to land. And, I'm very proud of you." 

"Aw, Winston!" exclaimed Lena fondly. "Boy, am I glad to hear from you! It's been weeks! You've been at that conference in Numbani, right? I'm so happy you could make it back in time!" 

"I am too," Winston agreed. "Our public relations manager is still down there, though." 

"Really? How's he doing?" 

"Oh, fine, I'm sure," assured Winston. 

* * *

 **[Numbani,** **Current** **OSO Press Conference]**  

The twitching man with unblinking eyes and embers in his hair stand behind the podium in a room full of journalists shoving microphones in his direction.  

"Mr. Fawkes! Mr. Fawkes!" cried one in the back, her hand shooting up.  

"Yes?" he answered. 

The woman stood fully up as the others in the room quieted down to hear her question. The woman adjusted her glasses and readied a pen over the notebook in her hand. She cleared her throat. "After so many disasters in the past, Overwatch Space Operations surely must have improved mission security. What will happen to the astronauts if something goes wrong on the mission?" 

He nodded in comprehension. "They die," he replied immediately. "Next question." 

* * *

"...Y'know," continued Lena, eyebrows furrowed. "Never really sure why they picked Jamison to be our PR." 

"Lost on me. At any rate, Lena, I'm going to let you concentrate to land it. As you know, docking the craft it's a very delicate procedure, but you're more than prepared to handle it. I look forward to speaking to you later! Good luck." _Beep._  

* * *

 **[Headquarters, Day 1]**  

"I got the donuts." The intern, younger by far than anyone else in the room, entered the control center backwards with a pink box balancing on her arm to close the door behind her.  

Hana stretched her gum taut with her tongue and blew a bubble, turning back around and halting mid-step when she noticed the fully grown gorilla in the room who was wearing a headset and speaking perfect English. 

She blinked. 

 _I mean, I guess,_ Hana thought, before shrugging and walking down the steps to deliver the donuts. 

* * *

 **[International Space Station, Night 1]**  

Lena had docked their craft on the ISS nearly perfectly, much to the relief and praise of the rest of the crew. Fareeha knew from Lena's shining eyes and exhausted smile that it was strenuous on her, and that it meant a lot to her to successfully complete. Much like Fareeha's fight to be mission commander was a struggle with a very personal motivation behind it, Fareeha knew that behind the sunny demeanor, Lena's every move as mission pilot battled her own demons of doubt. When she was only a teenager and fresh out of university, Lena- who was personally recommended by her professors as being perfect for the job- was recruited by OSO as a simulation test pilot.  

It was at the tail end of OSO's existence before the recent revival, and they were getting desperate. The news had just begun to report the several dangerous failures the corporation underwent, and people were just beginning to distrust them. So OSO, losing money by the minute, began recruiting younger and younger, and projects had smaller and smaller budgets. So when the perky Lena Oxton, only nineteen years old, stepped into a bare-minimum training module named the Slipstream with two fewer screws than it should have had, nothing good could have followed. 

Wires split and the glass shattered. Lena was incredibly lucky to survive the shrapnel that nearly pierced her heart. And some small part of her, Fareeha knew, still blamed herself for it. 

It was the second training simulation to go horribly, horribly wrong in two months, too... 

But Lena was a strong person. More than you'd ever guess from her lighthearted personality and animated expressions. She landed the ship, and they were all safe. Lena opened the hatch. 

None of them took two steps out before they were swept up into the arms of the German giant waiting for them. 

"My friends! It is so good to see you!" rejoiced Reinhardt, squeezing them all in a huge hug.  

Fareeha laughed and beamed against his shoulder. She never really liked hugs from others- Reinhardt was the exception. Given that he had been her mother's co-worker and close friend ever since Fareeha could remember, Reinhardt was like family to Fareeha. She had grown up with his kind words and hair ruffles, and had idolized his strength and do-good determination. And she was thrilled to see him, too. 

After a few moments, Reinhardt released them, then sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Ah...apologies! I have not had human contact in some time, I was very excited. Fareeha, Lena, Jesse, wonderful to see you as always! It has been so long!" Fareeha and Lena smiled, while McCree, in turn, dipped his head in greeting. "And you two-" He turned towards the remaining crew members. "-must be Mei-Ling and Aleksandra! My pleasure!" 

"Hello!" said Mei sweetly, shaking his hand. "It is very nice to meet you! I have read many of your research papers, and I am very impressed by the amazing discoveries you have made!" Mei paused and tensed, her cheeks coloring pink. "Oh, I'm sorry...is that weird to say?" 

"Not at all!" answered Reinhardt, delighted. "I'm very happy to hear it! Haha...and nice to meet you as well, Aleksandra!" He turned and offered his hand to Zarya. 

Zarya took it and shook it eagerly. "You can call me Zarya. It is pleasure to make your acquaintance. You seem like good man. And worthy wrestling opponent." 

Silence. 

McCree leaned over to Mei. "See, _that's_ a weird thing to say," he whispered.  

Reinhardt upheld his smile, though it slowly turned more forced as the moment dragged on, before he released his hand and tucked it behind his back. "I like your ambition," he declared. That, if nothing else. Zarya beamed and puffed her chest out at the compliment. He pointed at the door behind him, glancing everyone over. "Anyway, living quarters ahead! Most of it is zero gravity. It is more fun than OSO lets on. Come!" He gestured towards the door again, and the others walked over to it, but Fareeha stayed behind. 

Reinhardt, watching the others go, had just noticed that Fareeha wasn't with them, and turned over to her, frowning. "Something wrong, Fareeha?" 

Fareeha was chewing her lip, but put on a quick, easy smile and shook her head. "Do not worry. Thank you, though. I was just...thinking of my mother. We have not spoken in quite some time, but I wonder if she is watching." 

Reinhardt's eyebrows upturned and his mouth formed a sympathetic smile, walking over to her and gently patting her back. "Your mother is a good woman, Fareeha. I know she is watching over you." _That makes it sound like she's dead,_ thought Fareeha, but decided to keep it to herself. "Ah...how are the others?" He was trying to change subject for her comfort. That was sweet.  

"Good. It could not have been long since you've last spoken to them over radio, though, you would know that." 

Reinhardt stared at her face, the corners of his lips twitching up as if he was trying not to laugh at an amusing thought that floated through his mind, though he stopped fighting it after a few moments and let it stretch into a full-out grin. "Well...it has been a while since I've spoken to _Ang~ela_ in particular..." 

Oh, god. 

" _Reinhardt_ _!_ " yelled Fareeha immediately, blood rushing up to her face. Reinhardt broke out into deep-bellied laughter, and Fareeha scowled. "That- that was years ago! I was a child!" Reinhardt kept laughing, and Fareeha stomped her foot. "You said you wouldn't bring that up again!" 

Reinhardt wheezed in breaths between guffaws. "I'm sorry Fareeha, your crush on her was just too cute!" he managed to get out. "I cannot help but remember it and smile once every great while!" Once he had calmed down a bit (Fareeha hadn't. She was still pissed.) he shook his head slightly and stretched as he continued. "Ah...my apologies if I embarrassed you. I will not do it again." He patted her head, and- much to her own annoyance- Fareeha felt some of her flash-anger melt away. "Though...and this is not meant to tease you, it is just a statement...to my knowledge, Angela _is_ single. And quite lovely." 

It...it wasn't as if Fareeha hadn't _not_ thought about it. Occasionally. As a quick, fleeting hypothetical. 

Angela _was_ lovely, and even a tongue-tied, lovestruck twelve-year-old Fareeha could recognize that. Everything about her was golden. Her hair, her smile, and gold was the color of the warm glow young Fareeha felt in her stomach everytime she stood too close. Angela's laugh was sunshine, and her summer-blue eyes were the sky.  

Little Fareeha would lay awake at night and wonder if there were any other people like Angela. Those special few who must've come into this world with laughter in their throats and wonder in their eyes.  

She had yet to meet another. 

Sighing, Fareeha shook her head and looked down at the floor. "I highly doubt that would happen," she confessed. "I am not looking for a relationship, and considering she knew me when I was young, Angela probably sees me as a little sister. But, make no mistake." She lifted her head to look at Reinhardt, and flashed a smile. "I am fine how I am now." 

Reinhardt was frowning, his eyes gone sad and the muscles around his mouth twitching. _But Fareeha,_ Fareeha knew he was trying not to say, _you have been alone for so long. You do not have many friends, and you isolated yourself from your mother. I worry for you. You should have someone. Anyone!_  

Instead of saying it, he put on a smile, and turned back towards the door. "Well, as long as you are happy. Now, let us meet with the others!" He headed over to the door, opened in, and disappeared inside. 

Fareeha was left alone, feeling oddly unsure of herself, and her stomach tight. She blinked towards the door, then at her feet. And silently, as if speaking another word would make the prickling at her neck and the shaking nerves worse, she went through the door after him. 

* * *

 _Public Mission Log. Entry #3_ _. End of d_ _ay 1 of major mission._  

 _Mission_ _Supervisor_ _Jack Morrison here._  

 _Thanks for your_ _support_ _, public. Our astronauts are safely on the International Space Station. We couldn't have done it without you._  

 _We could've done even more_ _if you all hadn't abandoned_ _us_ _because of a few freak accidents that were completely beyond our control, though. But I digress. All that matters is that we're privileged to once again have the honor to show the world_ _why it's so important to study space._  

 _The answer_ _, by the way, is because one day the Sun's going to blow up and if we haven't gotten the hell off of our own puny planet_ _by then_ _you won't even have the chance to deny us funds for stupid reasons_ _anymore. And who wants to miss out on that?_  

 _The mission itself is going surprisingly well. And let me be clear, that_ is _surprising. The crew is going to start their various experiments and Space Station repairs tomorrow, after they get some well-deserved sleep._  

 _I have tomorrow off of work. I hope they don't die or something while I'm gone._  

 _Signing off._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sometimes i try to be serious with this (and it WILL have serious parts) but for the most part, a fic with an entire premise of "gays in space" wont let me do anything but write as many cheap jokes as i can cram into a chapter  
> so!! the "other training accident" (and the other incidents that happened in old oso) is actually pretty important to the story, and i'll get into that in the next chapter or two, along with starting to develop the relationships. thank you very much for bearing with me and all the worldbuilding i have to do in these first few chapters! (i also hope no one minds that theyre fairly short. i just have a lot of content i want to put into this so im trying to pace myself)  
> also, thank you so so so much for the support ive gotten for this!!! ive already gotten a few lovely comments and a few very very sweet asks on my tumblr, and it really means to world to me and motivates me to write more. again, if you wanna say your thoughts or ask anything, my tumblr is here! i hope you enjoyed, and ill get the next chapter up soon!!!


	3. [DAY 3]

**[Shimada Residence, 7 Years Ago]**  

 _Doors slammed. Fists curled._ _"Look around you, Hanzo_ _. The world is changing. Our family's empire as we once knew it is crumbling. We are moving on with our lives! We are better than this, and you know it. We work now to further humanity, not to poison it. Why are you not happy with this?"_  

 _Teeth clenched. Nails raked. "I cannot expect you to understand! Our f_ _ather has passed away, and I've been told since before I could walk that when he was gone, I was to take his position. I am the eldest son. I was born with the purpose of being the successor."_  

 _Feet stomped. Papers flew. "You are not listening, brother! I'm saying that you do not have to revert to it! Our family has built it_ _s wealth through despicable means, and you know that as well as I do! You do not have to do this. No tradition is worth upholding if it does more harm than good. You and I both have worked our whole lives to get where we are today, and you are more inclined to throw everything away to go back to the corrupted house we spent so long trying to escape?"_  

 _Glass smashed. Bonds broken. "Don't you dare speak to me like you know what's best for me! You know nothing! Centuries of expectations crushing me slowly_ _, you know nothing of it_ _! Being torn apart between_ _my heart and my loyalty, you could never know it! Failing my one and only purpose for living because my dreams are among the stars, how could you ever know what that feels like? You think I want to give up working_ _the Space Center because I'd rather run a drug_ _carte_ _l that's been passed down to me_ _, brother? You think I have never been disgusted by our family's business, and you think if I didn't want to be head of it, I could simply say no and walk out? What do you know, Genji? What could the second-born possibly tell me that would be worth my time?"_  

 _Silence roared. Regret,_ _in the making_ _._  

* * *

 **[Overwatch Space Operations; Training** **Hangar** **, 7 Years Ago]**  

 _He was fifty feet up in the control room and behind a thick window of tinted glass, peering down at the hangar below with narrowed eyes. He could spot his younger brother down on the ground_ _below him- with his stupid freshly_ _green hair- appearing to be chatting and laughing with someone like nothing was wrong._  

 _Hanzo hated him._  

 _A hot-blooded flash of anger flooded him as the argument they had from that morning played once more in his mind, and his teeth gnashed. His brother was careless, always careless, even now. He had minutes to go before his training simulation started, and he was wasting it, talking up some girl like he had all the time in the world._  

 _Eventually, his brother wrenched himself away from the lady, giving her a little wave. Hanzo carefully watched him walk over to the training module he was assigned to, watched him open the door and disappear inside._  

 _"This is Genji," came a voice over the headphones everyone in the control room was wearing. "I am in_ _the training module and ready to begin preparing the simulation."_  

 _Hanzo said nothing._  

 _"Hello, Genji," replied Angela, who was behind Hanzo, sitting at her computer. Hanzo heard her clothes rustle with movement behind him. "Hanzo, you've completed the module check, yes?"_  

 _Hanzo walked over to his computer, but said nothing._  

 _He could see Angela frowning in his peripheral vision as he logged on. "Have you not? Hanzo, you were assigned to do that two hours ago."_ _Hanzo silently pulled up the training control program. Angela sighed. "Hanzo, please answer me._ _"_  

 _"Is something wrong?" Genji's voice crackled over the radio, and Hanzo's jaw clenched. He didn't want to_ _talk to Genji_ _. He was already sick of his voice. "...Doctor Ziegler," he came again, with rising panic in his voice. "I_ _see- I see what looks like split_ _wires-"_  

 _Hanzo clicked 'Start Simulation'._  

* * *

 **[Emergency** **Room, 7 Years Ago]**  

 _He sat with his head in his hands, trembling, trying to drown out the world around him. The world was too loud._  

 _The television was on, set to the news channel, and he hated that he could hear the buzz of the anchors on it. It made him feel sick._  

 _There was a small tune, which played_ _every time_ _the commercials were over and the channel was back to the news. "Good evening," said a calm female voice. "For those of you just joining us, we have received word that a training module at Overwatch Space Operations_ _caught fire today, with an astronaut trainee inside." She paused for a moment, and he could hear screams. They were probably playing a clip of it. "According to reporters, the training module was not properly checked before the_ _trainee- Genji Shimada, 28- entered. A wire by Shimada's feet had split, and when the simulation sequence was initiated, the electrical charge ignited the wire. The interior of the module quickly caught fire, leaving Shimada in the flames."_  

 _He dry-heaved and wretched. He pressed his hands over his ears._  

 _"After seconds of enduring the flames, Shimada managed to open_ _an emergency_ _door," the anchor continued, "where he climbed out and immediately collapsed. Overwatch Space Operations' on-site emergency crew was quick to rush to his side,_ _later_ _calling_ _the state they found him in_ _'gruesome' and 'horrific'. 911 arrived soon after, wheeling the mortally wounded trainee off to the nearest hospital. We are still waiting to hear back from the doctors on his condition, but Shimada was last reported as having life-threatening injuries. It is unlikely for-"_  

 _He lunged for the remote on the_ _side_ _table, his hands shaking as they searched for the power button. He slammed down a red button, and the screen went black, and the room went silent. And in the silence which he thought would_ _com_ _fort_ _him, h_ _is mind begged him to cry even more_ _._  

Beep, beep, beep, _quietly went_ _the machinery hooked up to the body that he could not bear to look at, starting up again_ _. He couldn't stand the noise. He wanted to get out of this room._ _He_ _had to leave._  

 _The doctor came in with a solemn expression. He did not look at the doctor. The doctor spoke to him softly, in a tone one would use with a child on the brink of tears. The doctor told him he was very sorry. The doctor told him they were doing everything they could. The doctor told him it was a miracle that his brother was still alive at all._ _The doctor told him that his brother was going to be in a coma for a very, very long time._  

 _He nodded without a word. He got up and he walked out of the room, out of the building, out of the town. He never stopped runnin_ _g away from the horrors of what he had done, and he never looked back._  

* * *

 **[International Space Station, Day 3]**  

Hm? Was that Angela's voice? 

Turning himself around by carefully kicking his feet against the wall, McCree floated down the hallway where he had heard what he was _sure_ was the ground control worker and on-call medic. Oh. It was coming from Fareeha's quarters. 

Approaching the door, he rasped his knuckles against it. "Hey, Pharah, you talkin' to Angela?" he called, using her nickname. "Can I talk to her?" 

Instantly, Angela's voice stopped. There was a beat of quiet before Fareeha slowly replied, "...Yes. Come in." (Why did she sound disappointed? McCree wasn't _that_ bad to hang around.) 

Grinning, he opened the door to find Fareeha in casual workout gear, sitting on her cot with her legs criss-crossed and buckling herself down to it with a strap over her lap. Her laptop was open before her, and for some reason, her face looked flushed and she wouldn't meet McCree's eyes. He frowned and glanced down at himself. Was there something wrong with his outfit? Did he have peanut butter smeared on his cheek? Again? Well, whatever. 

He floated over to Fareeha, gripping a bar over her head to keep himself in place. He beamed down at her screen, where Angela- off-hours, obviously, and at her own home- was up on Skype on Fareeha's screen. Angela also looked embarrassed, and was staring down into her lap with burning red ear-tips. He quickly brushed a hand over his cheek, just to make sure there wasn't peanut butter there, but then shrugged and continued on. "Howdy," he greeted warmly, having known Angela since they were both seventeen years old.  

Angela, while still tense, visibly relaxed a little and smiled, looking back up into the camera. "Greetings, Jesse," she replied.  

McCree smiled back and nodded at her, then looked to Fareeha (who was covering her face), then back to Angela. He frowned. "...Was I interruptin' somethin'?" 

"No!" exclaimed Fareeha, all too quickly snapping her head up, her cheeks beginning to tinge pink. She wildly shook her head. "No, not at all. Nothing to. Interrupt. Thank you." McCree raised an eyebrow at her. She blinked at him and swallowed, going back to staring at the floor.  

He furrowed his brows but turned back to Angela. "Hey, Angie. I was just thinkin' about the old days, and the people who left...they never officially quit, right? An' training for this mission, I've been in another part of the building than y'all for the past couple a' months, so I wouldn't really know, and I was just wonderin'...if, ah...if any of them. Ever came back." 

He felt Fareeha, whose side was touching his back, shrink down behind him. He turned back to look at her, instantly regretting asking. _Fuck, Jesse,_ he thought as Fareeha drew her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on them, _one of them was her mother. You shouldn't have just brought it up like that._ "Oh, Fareeha, I'm...I'm sorry, I wasn't even thinkin', I-" 

"I doubt that my mother will ever step foot on OSO grounds again." Fareeha spoke quietly, not raising her head, and McCree swallowed hard. "The others, I cannot speak for." 

"I'm sorry, I know it's upsettin' for you, I didn't-" 

Fareeha shook her head, unbuckled her strap and stood up, breathing in deeply. "No, no, it's fine. I...I am going to go exercise. I'm not tired anyway. You can finish talking to Angela, but mess around on my computer and you will be a sorry man." She dipped her head at him, and floated out of the room.  

McCree watched her exit and sighed, then settled down to buckle himself down to the bed to talk to Angela in her place. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Ah, always did end up messin' up 'round her, for whatever reason. When we were younger and took care of her at OSO, Ana would always kick my ass when she came back 'cause apparently I was an 'enabler'." 

Angela scrunched up her nose. "You gave a twelve-year-old girl a gun, McCree." 

"Yeah. I was _enablin'_ her to have a good time. But, back to the question." 

Angela held eye contact with him for a few moments then closed her eyes to sigh. "Unfortunately, no," she confessed. "I do dearly miss the members who have fallen from our company for whatever reason, but we have not had contact with any of them except Genji." 

McCree fought back the urge to cringe at the name. It brought back memories of one of the bleakest days in any of the employees' lives. "Ah...yeah. I feel awful for him...he was such a great guy. He was such a promisin' trainee, too, I remember Ana tellin' me that lots. Guess that's not gonna happen now." He exhaled, glancing away, then looked back at the screen to find Angela looking upset. He frowned, voice taking on a gentler tone. "Aw, no, no, you did the best you could, Angie. He's alive 'cause of you. He would've died as soon as he woke up from the coma if you hadn't jumped in, you know that." 

"I know, I know, I just..." Angela bit her lip and shook her head. "Being an astronaut was his lifelong dream. We became close friends during his time here, and he would tell me often how lucky he was to be here, living his dream, and...now he is crippled for life and can barely even breathe without a machine. He was so close to being able to go to space, and now isn't physically able enough to even _apply_. I wish I could have done more. I wish..." 

" _Angie_." His tone was stern, but wouldn't be if he didn't care so much. She quieted and rubbed her shoulder. "He's alive. He still gets to come to OSO all the time, he still gets special access, he's still part of the team, y'know? He was in a coma for _six years,_ and with any other doctor, he would'a been flat-out dead. He's grateful as hell. You can't keep beatin' yourself up over it. There's a reason they call you Mercy." 

Despite her distress and guilt, that made Angela smile. McCree smiled right back. 

Angela brushed a lock of hair back behind her hair, calmer and more relaxed. "Thank you very much, McCree, that means a lot... On the topic, though, I do wish we could've contacted Hanzo. We called his current number so many times, and he never answered any of the calls. He would not even come to see his own brother when he woke up!" She huffed. 

 _Hanzo._ Now that was a name McCree hadn't heard in a while. 

McCree's stomach flipped as his mind was sent back to those final days of OSO before the revival, seven years ago. He was a trainee alongside Genji, back then. He and Genji got along very well, and it wasn't long before Genji was comfortable enough with him to introduce him to his older brother, who worked as a training overseer and a part-time ground control moderator. McCree accepted the invitation, and the two were off to the control department. 

Hanzo, Genji said his name was. McCree could only barely register it past the ringing in his ears. 

He was beautiful. His hair was half tied-up, and stray locks fell into  intense, dark eyes. His features were angular, and his gaze was low. Hanzo's eyes met McCree's. When McCree opened his mouth to speak, he only just barely managed to keep his heart from falling out of it.  

Finding that they matched one another's intellect, the two of them played a game of wits in almost every interaction. It was a competition to one-up the other, filled with grins and bite, and sometimes the line between contest and flirting wasn't so clear. Behind corners where no one else could see them, they would get so close that McCree could feel Hanzo's breath on his lips.  

If it could have been anything more, McCree never knew. The day of the incident where Genji was injured, they lost him entirely. He didn't come to work. He cut contact with them. He changed his address. He was gone, and he never came back. 

The bastard. 

Back in the present, McCree shook his head and folded his arms. "Yep." He looked up to the ceiling. "What a pain in the ass. You can't just run from somethin' your whole life like it's gonna make it go away." 

Angela made a small noise of agreement, then yawned and stretched her hands over her head. "Well, it is getting late, and I should be heading to bed. You should be, too!" 

McCree shrugged. "Alright. Night, Angie." He reached forward to hang up the call. 

"Wait!" His hand hovered over the End Call button. Angela was blushing again. "Um...is...is Fareeha coming back?" 

McCree blinked. "Why?" 

Angela blinked right back. "Ah. Uh, tell her I said goodnight. Sleep well, Jesse." The call ended. 

* * *

 _Public Mission Log Entry #4! End of Day 3!_  

 _Hello! Dr. Mei-Ling Zhou speaking! :)_  

 _Overall, the mission so far has gone very well! I am currently setting up experiments mostly involving growing food in zero-gravity conditions, so we can have sustainable food during much longer missions in the future. I hope it goes well!_  

 _It was a pleasure to meet Mr. Wilhelm, he_ _is very kind and_ _knowledgeable_ _! It was also_ _quite exciting for me, as I have read his research papers since I was little and have admired him my whole life. Having lived in China most of my life, I was very nervous about coming to OSO because I would not know anyone, but I have quickly bonded with my fellow crew members, who are all very wonderful people. Fareeha is such a good leader, Lena makes me happy, McCree is quite silly, and Zarya and I are becoming very close! We are both from international space exploration branches, so we have a lot in common._  

 _Thank you for supporting us, everyone! :) Thank you very much for giving us this opportunity- it means so much to me!_  

 _Me and the others will continue writing on this log. We hope you follow along!_  

* * *

 _Private Mission Log for Mei-Ling Zhou. Entry #1. End of Day 3._  

 _I knew that Angela said that we would all be given access to our own private logs in addition to the public one, but I did not think I would have any reason to use it until now._  

 _I know I should be more focused on the mission than social relationships, but I get really nervous around Zarya, and I think she can tell. I do not want her to think that she scares me! :( The truth is, I want to get to know her more, but I can never think of the right words to say! I want to impress her but I always end up being very awkward when I try to talk to her and she probably thinks I am weird._  

 _I have not met any people like Zarya before, she is very kind but also very strong, and I mean that more than just physically! She is very determined and devoted and is not easily scared, and I hope I can one day be like her. I wonder if she is only impressed by other people who are amazing like her, I_ _can not_ _think of anything_ _particularly_ _extraordinary about me. :(_  

 _Even though the crew has treated me very warmly, I still feel somewhat like an outsider. I hope I can earn their respect...and I hope I can earn the affection of Zarya._  

 _Oh, no, did that sound too embarrassing? Ah!_  

_I'm going to go check on the experiments!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO EXCITED ive been waiting to write the shimada backstory for FOREVER!!! aa aAA  
> so i had a LOT of fun writing this chapter (i love coming up with canon parallels in aus), and while theres not a lot of actual plot substance in it, it introduces a lot of things that ill be using for plot/to further the story later on. i hope you enjoy anyway, though! 
> 
> and as always, thank you so, so, SO much for the lovely feedback you all have left- it means the world to me, and it really helps me to write more. (this is like the fastest ive ever cranked out three chapters of a fic omg) and again, heres [my tumblr](http://volskayas.tumblr.com/) if youd like!!! (thank you for all the really sweet asks ive been like dying ;__;) thanks for reading!!


End file.
